Extra £1,500 for taxi drivers

Ta x i dr i v e r s a c ro s s Renfrewshire are set to receive extra covid cash as part of increased government support.

Renfrewshire Council - which is administering several support grants on behalf of the Scottish Government - says thousands of pounds will be paid into the accounts of hard-up drivers tomorrow.

The move comes after ministers agreed to extend the support available via the Taxi Driver and Private Hire Vehicle Driver Support Fund.

It saw cabbies and private hire drivers offered a one-off payment of £1,500, but was suspended in April.

Now, following a campaign by Unite the Union and others, a second payment of £1,500 is to be paid into the bank accounts of those who were included in the first round of payments.

The money will, from tomorrow, be automatically distributed to the 1,000 taxi drivers who applied to the fund earlier in the year.

Taxi operators will also be able to secure grants via the fund.

Grants of between £1,000 and £ 15,000 are available depending on the number of vehicle licences the company holds.

Renfrewshire Council staff are now contacting eligible vehicle licence holders inviting them to provide the required supporting information and bank details to process the funds.

The council hopes to be able to make payments by the end of July.